(Yicai Global) Feb. 24 -- The organizer of the Mobile World Congress, a global conference series for emerging mobile trends, kicked off its first physical event in more than a year yesterday.

The GSM Association stages three MWC events a year: Barcelona in February, Shanghai in June, and Los Angeles in October. All three were canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, Shanghai was scheduled ahead of Barcelona.

“People are really looking forward to it,” Sihan Bo Chen, head of the GSM Association China, told Yicai Global. Only China can successfully host this in-person gathering because the country has “implemented the most effective pandemic prevention measures and has the most powerful mobile ecology,” she said.

“Shanghai is also one of the global leaders in the development of fifth-generation wireless networks,” Chen added.

But due to travel restrictions, many international exhibitors and guests will only be able to ‘visit’ MWC Shanghai virtually, though the event will still have an international aura because 50 of the 200 exhibitors are overseas brands, with most sending their Chinese branches along, she said.

Restarting physical events is important, according to Nokia Shanghai Bell Chairman Yuan Xin, who has attended the MWC for 10 years. Showcasing devices and technology is more convenient offline and face-to-face communication is essential in maintaining professional relationships, he said.

Still, the Shanghai event will enable firms to think more digitally. The combination of physical and online presence is a new experiment for Nokia's joint venture in China as the firm has set up an online exhibition with live-streaming and that platform is quite popular, according to Yuan.  

A number of new products, technologies, and services will be launched at MWC Barcelona, Chen said, which is scheduled for June 28 to July 1.

The three-day MWC Shanghai runs through tomorrow.

Editors: Liao Shumin, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi